Memo to Steve Jobs: 7 Reasons to Decouple OS X from Apple Hardware Now

Dear Steve,

I have to admit it is a little strange writing to you. So many of us in the broader Apple family feel like we know you. We have watched your keynotes for years (for some of us, a lifetime!). We have watched you grow Apple only to be thrown out, only to come back and save the company from what seemed like a certain demise. And now, some of us are watching now and see what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you simply cannot pass up on.

The storied history of Apple and Microsoft is a fascinating one, as you know, Steve. What has happened in essence is two business models, or approaches as to how to make money and how to create the greatest experience in the marketplace. With Microsoft’s well over 90 percent lockdown on the usage of GUI operating systems I think you would agree that they have won. And I think you would also agree that Apple’s operating system is a superior user experience, albeit one that gets more and more obfuscated as time goes on, and Microsoft catches up.

Steve, your switch to the Intel processor was a ballsy one. Many of the Mac faithful were shocked after spending years ingesting, and regurgitating, the now-proven myth that the Power PC platform was a better one than the Intel one (remember the snails?). But what I am suggesting is a far ballsier move, one that is somewhat an inversion, or reverse of the Apple business model, but one, I believe, that will take Apple to new heights, in stock price and marketshare.

As you know, Microsoft decided a long time ago to not be in the hardware business (at least for computers, you’d think they learn to not do silly things like put out the craptacular Zune!). Microsoft makes its money selling its operating system to hardware manufacturers. Back in the day Apple prided itself not only on its operating system, but also its hardware. Apple was an innovator, bringing to the market superior hardware. Things like SCSI (chain issues notwithstanding), ethernet, firewire, and much much more. 10 years ago an Apple computer was significantly different from a PC. Its processor was different. Its motherboard architecture was different.

But Macs now are very similar to PCs. Take a Mac and put it next to a Dell and, the horrific gap in industrial design aside, they share the same processor, the same drive hardware, the same networking, USB 2.0. The same wireless protocols (airport and bluetooth). In fact, they are remarkably similar machines.

This similarity has led to many Windows users buying Macs, knowing that they can not only experience the superior OS X experience, but that they can also run Windows machines without virtualization should they need to.

All this really leaves me scratching my head. Why does Apple continue to require an Apple piece of hardware to run OS X? It doesn’t make any sense! So, after that somewhat verbose introduction, Steve, I give you the 10 reasons why you must decouple OS X from Apple hardware now.

1. There has never been a better time

Steve, I love your new commercials. The ones smashing Vista are particularly brilliant. Vista sucks. You know it, and we do too. What is happening right now is that Microsoft is admitting that XP is outdated, and their answer, Vista, is a failure. You are wise to pick up on this and to start pointing OS X out to consumers. But the time to really strike is now. And striking by expecting people who are comfortable going to Best Buy or buying directly from Dell requires a change in strategy.

2. Dell wants you

Let’s face it. Dell is a force to be reckoned with. Yes, their Dude, get a Dell campaign was stupid. Yes, the majority of their hardware is ugly and the antithesis of everything that is brilliant about Ives. But they sure know how to sell a boatload of hardware. Dell was locked into Windows, but now they sell Linux machines! Don’t view Dell as ugly machines. View Dell as incredible channels for OS X. Look at it this way. You are syndicating the Apple experience to other platforms. When HBO releases an incredible series (or maybe I should use a favorite of yours, The Office) they don’t demand that it only be consumed on a certain make of television! Same with OS X. Let Dell sell it and they will sell tons.

3. Hardware doesn’t really matter, or most people don’t get good design

I already covered above how the difference between Apple and PC hardware is minimal, and probably nonexistent. The other thing you have to understand, Steve, is that the vast majority of people don’t get good design. After all, they use Windows, drive Asstecs, and do other unsavory things. Now, you could say that Apple is like Porsche, or BMW, as some others have said, and is happy with low marketshare. But I can’t believe you think this way and are stubborn enough to not try to change the world. Indeed, syndicating OS X to other manufacturers could really bring good design to the masses. After all, people spend all day staring at their screen, and not the boxes that run their screens. Even so, the vast majority of computer users won’t care that they are using a better looking operating system than Windows. But, if it is offered at Dell, and it has better security and features, they will buy it. So sell it.

4. You will make much more money

There, got your attention, didn’t I? Some out there go on and on about how Apple is a hardware company and would never license OS X because you would lose money. Funny, didn’t work out for Microsoft that way and the last time I checked Bill has a lot more money in the bank than you. Plus, I’m not suggesting you stop making Macs. Indeed, because you will be the maker of both the operating system and hardware you will still be uniquely positioned to create hardware and software experiences that will rock our world. And many computer users, including me, will see that difference and continue buying Macs. But for those Dell and HP users out there who want to save a buck, or don’t care about Apple’s design, they will still be putting money in your pocket instead of Bill’s. The marketplace has already proven that Apple’s marketshare will always be a minority, and while you have made great strides recently let’s be honest. They are in the low percentages (and that is at the high end) and more often in the decimals of percentages. That is no way to grow.

5. The world is leaving you behind or China

To the vast majority of the world a computer is a PC running Windows. This is a shame. Sure there are niches overseas but they are all in developed countries. Go to India, which is going through a huge economic transformation, and you won’t see Macs. Go to China? Forget it. Same with Africa. Again, if OS X could run on any hardware, including the cheap stuff, people who would otherwise never be exposed to Apple would use it.

6. Scale

Open up OS X and you don’t have to get into silly negotiations with people like Best Buy who, every six months it seems, are either selling Macs or aren’t. And when they are there is usually one or two out there that is largely ignored. But with OS X running on any hardware suddenly Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack, and any brick-and-mortars outlet is a channel for Apple. This is huge. Add Dell to the mix and it gets really big. This is scale, and by continuing to bundle things you cannot match this out in the marketplace.

7. It’s better for the end-user

Personally I care more about OS X than I do about the hardware it runs on. If I had to choose between running Windows on a Mac, and Mac on a PC, well, I’d choose the latter. Don’t get me wrong, I love your hardware. Love it so much that I have never owned a PC, and will never bring one into my home! But, what really matters to me is OS X.